Gov Wike summons first Rivers PDP stakeholders’ meeting since crisis broke in party

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has summoned a meeting of leaders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

The meeting is the first to be called by the governor in the state since he lost out at party’s presidential primary and the crisis that hit the opposition party afterwards.

The meeting is scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt the state capital by 2pm today.

Governor Wike has been at the forefront of calls for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu.

Stakeholders of the party in support of Wike’s call had announced early Wednesday morning that they would not be part of the party’s presidential campaign council until Ayu steps aside as party chairman.

However, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate, in a statement on Wednesday insisted that Ayu is the only one who can decide to resign and that he should not be forced out, except through ‘democratic processes.’

Read also:Atiku reacts to Wike group’s pull-out from 2023 presidential campaign, insists on sticking with Ayu

He further expressed his surprise at the withdrawal of Wike and his associates from the party’s campaign council, noting that every zone and state, except Rivers, had sent names of representatives for the council.

Atiku said, “Early this morning, my attention was drawn to a news clip in which several very senior and influential members of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), addressed the press and, amongst other things, declared that they are withdrawing, forthwith, from the Presidential Campaign Council set up by our party to judiciously plan and prosecute the general elections set to hold in February and March 2023, on the one hand; and reiterated their earlier calls for the resignation or removal from office of the national chairman of our party, Senator Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, on the other hand.

“On the calls for the resignation or removal from office of our national chairman, however, I must reiterate what I have said severally in public and in private; the decision for Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to resign from office is personal to Dr. Ayu and, neither I nor anyone else can make that decision for him.

“If Dr. Ayu is to be removed from office, it must be done in accordance with the laws that set out the basis for such removal. In any event, you will all recall that the very body that is empowered by law to initiate this removal from office, has already passed a vote of confidence in him,” Atiku had explained.

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